The colourful life and times of Lady Mary Heath, Irish aviator, athlete and writer.

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Lady Heath - Two New Images from Cape Flight

Two images I've never seen before of a tired looking Lady Heath. They were taken at Le Bourget airport in May 1928, just before she set off from Paris on the final leg of her three-month trip from Cape Town to London. In the one above, she is wearing her trademark leopardskin coat with lion fur collar ("I shot 'em both when I was in Africa my deah!"). The plane, with good luck messages scribbled on its side, is her faithful AVRO Avian G-EBUG, which survived forced landings, a flying bullet or two and obstructive officialdom on the long flight - the first in such a small plane over Africa.